Blogs are not like books
Blogs are not like books.
That might be stating the obvious but it is worth thinking about if you are a serious blogger. Even if you just blog for the fun of it, most bloggers want traffic to their blogs. Most want their readers to return and to become loyal readers. Most would like many visitors to comment on their blogs.
When you read a book you often start with page one and read right through to the end. This applies mainly to fiction, of course, but I usually do the same with non-fiction too. The obvious exception to this is reference books which are not designed to be read cover to cover.
Liz Strauss on Successful Blog asks the question “Do you think of your blog as if it’s a book?” She points out that not all readers come to your blog on the front page first. It fact the majority probably come via search engines and links from other blogs to other pages on your blog, sometimes deep within your archives.
For example, on my birding blog, the most popular post was written six months ago in April of this year about nesting behaviour of Blackbirds. The nesting season is now in full swing here in Australia and it has recently created a new flurry of interest with many comments.
Some suggestions:
- How up to date is the information in your old posts?
- How often do you update your old articles?
- How often do you return to the archives and rewrite or edit your writing?
- How often do you link to old posts, thus driving visitors deep into your archives?
Link:
- Blogs aren’t books – Not everyone starts reading on page 1 – this article written by Liz is worth reading.
It’s Nice to be Recognised
It is always nice to be recognised, especially by one’s peers.
Liz Strauss over at Successful Blog has said some flattering things about my three blogs.
To read the article click on the link below.
Link:
Welcome:
A special welcome to any readers who come to this blog from the link on Liz’s blog. I invite you to browse through some of the articles via the categories or the archives. I also invite you to comment or ask questions.
Writing Project for my readers:
Links:
- Trevor’s Birding – my blog about Australian birds, including photos.
- My photo gallery – photos of birds, flowers, animals, places and much more.
- Successful Blog – thinking, writing and business strategies with Liz Strauss.
Who do you write for?
I guess that title should be more correctly written: “For whom do you write?” but that sounds too stuffy.
It is a question I don’t think I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about. Do I write for some nebulous person who happens to be a conglomerate of many readers? Do I write to satisfy the editor of a magazine so my story or article will be published? Do I write for the readers of this blog who regularly leave comments?
I’m not really sure.
One thing I am certain about, however, is that I definitely write for myself. The satisfaction I derive from the creative process is worth the many long hours at the keyboard. I also like the warm glow I get when a piece works, or a story turns out far beyond my expectations. Coming back to something I wrote decades ago and getting a glimpse of a younger me, wow – that’s worth it.
It is almost trite to say, because it has been said so many times by some many writers, but I really HAVE to write. Not being able to write is like not being able to breathe. It is so much a part of who I am.
A recent article by Liz Strauss on Successful Blog has made me rethink this issue. Perhaps there is one person who is more important than me when it comes to my readers.
Link:
- Writing for that one most important reader: that curious, clever, intelligent individual.
- Successful Blog – Liz Strauss writes about many interesting topics.
What do you expect from blogging?
When I first started blogging I didn’t really know what to expect. My first expectation, I guess was that it should complement my writing for the print media. I had several novels and picture books for children in draft form, I had a significant body of poetry and short stories ready for magazines and there were several other writing ideas I though worth pursuing.
I had heard that some money could be made through blogging but didn’t know what this involved, or what it took to get even a modest income. My learning curve over the last eight months has been steep. I now have a much more realistic idea of what it takes to be a successful blogger.
How you define success is an individual thing:
- it could mean significant income,
- it could mean huge traffic to your site,
- it could mean developing a loyal readership,
- it could mean developing a small but dedicated community of readers
- it could mean providing a service to readers who access your site
- it could mean all of the above – and more.
Many first time bloggers expect instant success with a big income. The reality is harsh. It takes effort, perseverance, discipline, a business sense and above all, time. In today’s instant society, these are not high on some people’s priority list of desirable qualities.
To read an excellent article explaining this better than I can go to Darren Rowse’s article here:
How to generate content on your blog
Since starting this blog earlier this year I have tried hard to maintain a minimum of one post per day. In that I have usually succeeded, with only a few missed days. Then there have been a few days where I have posted several articles on the one day. Overall, my aim is to post at least once a day with an article of useful content. Only my readers can judge if I have succeeded.
Darren Rowse on ProBlogger has recently posted an article listing a series of articles from his extensive archives. In this series he argues that quality articles, while very important, are generally not enough for the site to be successful (translate: generate income). Bloggers must be concentrating on quantity as well. I guess this is one argument that could go on forever.
In my limited experience, getting out one article a day is stretching me because I am trying to do this for three blogs simultaneously. (Check out my Birding blog here and my Travel Blog here.) On top of that, I am trying to work on several novels and picture books for children, write short stories and poetry for a range of magazines, do a writing course AND have a life. Demanding and challenging.
It all takes discipline, perseverance and commitment. I think I have a good mix of these qualities.
To read Darren’s articles click on the link below:
- How to generate high quantities of content for your blogs – links to 7 articles on this topic.